Overhead construction for electric railways.



E. E. GILMORE.

OVERHEAD CONSTRUCTION FOR ELEOTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21, 1909.

Patented Jan. 14,1913,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANonRAPH 120., WASHINGTON. D. c.

E. E. GILMORE.

OVERHEAD CONSTRUCTION FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.21, 1909.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Qttomut COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (IO-,WASHINGTON, D. c.

EDWARD E. GILMORE, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

OVERHEAD CONSTRUCTION FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

Original application filed July 18, 1907, Serial No. 384,449. Dividedand this application filed December To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, EDWARD E. GILMORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOverhead Construction for Electric Railways, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to overhead construction for electric railways, andespecially to the apparatus employed for overhead switching and guying.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a certain system of arrangingswitches and wires so that there shall be a balance of strains as longas the trolley wires are in normal condition, the system being moreoverprotected from derangement in the event of their becoming broken.

Heretofore it has been difficult to bring in branch trilley wires andconnect them to a line wire, without producing irregular. or lateralstrains on the latter. According to my present system and arrangement, abranch trolley wire throws no strain on the main wire and in no wisedisturbs the balance of the system, while being itself securelyanchored. This condition is brought about by head-guying the branchtrolley wire itself, and instead of making the switch a supporttherefor, reversing this procedure and making the branch wire steady andsupport the switch. All terminal strain due to the branch wire is takenup by its own steel cable, which serves as part of the system of guysfor the switch and the main trolley wire.

The various component parts of the system of guying being combined so asto produce the desired resultant effect on the trolley wires, in theevent of the rupture of the latter the balance would be destroyed; andto prevent this I provide a safety tie wire which connects the variouscurve members outside of their insulated connections with the branchtrolley wire. The same tie wire scheme can be employed elsewhere than ona curve, and in fact the method of head guying and the special apparatusemployed canalso be applied elsewhere than to switches, for example, inoverhead crossings and the like.

The present application is a division of my copending application SerialNo. 384,449, filed July 18, 1907, in which certain features of the headguying switch are claimed. 1

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure1 'is a diagram showing a portion of a-main line with a single turnoutarranged according to my invention. Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are views of myswitch employed for this turnout, being respectively a top plan view, across section on the line a"-w, a bottom plan view, and a cross sectionon the line y-3 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a main line with its rails dotted, and itstrolley wire marked 10. The turnout also has its rails dotted and itstrolley wire marked 8. At the intersection of the wires 8 and 10, Iemploy the switch 1, which is shown in the succeeding figures of thedrawings. This switch is supported in such a manner as to decreasevibration, and increase the steadiness of both trolley wires at thepoint of junction, while itself being held level. The branch wire 8crosses over the main wire 10 and is held so that it produces no lateralstrain on the latter, its principal supports being the poles 13 and 27,with supplemental connections to the poles 16 and 22. The longitudinalpull on the straight part of the wire 8 is transmitted around the curveand then in a straight line to the pole 13 through a 5/16 inch steelcable 11. Thecables 21,20, 29, 28 and 23 all act in conjunction with thecable 11 to maintain the branch wire 8, and to take up their respectiveproportions of the strain, as will more particularly appear hereinafter.

The method employed for carrying and supporting the switch 1, andattaching the .trolley wires thereto is of some importance,

being indicated in a general way in Fig. 1.

' The switch itself is best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, in which 1represents the body of the device which is relatively large and isprovided with extended arms 2, 3 and 4 cast as a part of the body andprovided with lugs 5 one of which receives the guy wire 21, as indicatedin Fig. 1. The arms 2 and 3 diverge from a point near the center of thebody 1 and are connected near their ends by a bridge 6 which, should thetrolley jump the wire, prevents the pole from jamming between the arms.On the arm 4 I provide a hook A extending outwardly and downwardly overthe branch trolley wire 8 which passes through the body of the switch,over the arm 2, and is clamped thereto by the clamping member 9. Themain trolley wire passes over the arm 3 and the body 1 and is secured ina similar manner by the clamping member 9. It passes out over the arm 4,the wire 8 crossing over or under it at the junction of the arm 4 withthe body. The wire 8 after passing under the hook A extends for a shortdistance beyond the switch where it is secured to the cable 11,preferably through a globe strain insulator 12. The guying cable 11 issecured to the pole 13, with an insulator 14 interposed. Poles 15 and 16are located on either side of the streetv adjacent the curb line and areconnected together by the wire or cable 17 through pull-01f castings, aglobe strain insulator 18, and a double giant insulator 19, the latterbeing used on the side of greater strain. Guy wires 20 and 21 extendfrom the insulator 19, to the insulator and to a lug on the switch bodyrespectively. At a point on the cross street where the curve of. thebranch line starts, I support and take up the strain of the curve wire 8by guying it to the pole 22 through the wire 23 and the double giantinsulator 24. This insulator also connects to the pole 22 a supportingcable 25 stretched across the street to a pole 26. The curve wire 8 isconnected to this cable 25 by a double pull-off casting secured to theear on the trolley wire and having two globe strain insulators. Atapproximately the middle of the curve and at V the three quarter point Iguy the curve wire to the supporting pole 27 by cables 28 and 29. Theseare both connected to a safety tie wire 32 which runs parallel with thecurve wire and is connected also to the insulators 30 of wires 23, 28,29, 20 and 17. The wires 20, 28 and 29 are also attached to the maintrolley wire 10 by straight line hanger insulators. In case the branchwire 8 should part, at any point on the curve, the tie wire 32 willimmediately take its place in transmitting a pull from the straight partof the wire 8 around the curve soas to prevent further disarrangementofthe line. I believe that I am the first to devise a satisfactory schemefor head guying an overhead curve so as to produce the results stated,also that I am the first to devise a practical form of switch whereinand whereby the strain on the branch wire is independently carried whilethe means for transmitting this strain serve to steady and support theswitch, and keep it level. Regarding the mechanical features of theswitch only, it constitutes a valuable improvement over those heretoforein use. The hook A which maintains it level and steady, enables thedevice to be put in position and the trolley wires attached to it with aminimum expenditure of time and labor.

I am aware that some changes and modifications may be made in matters ofdetail in this system and apparatus, and I wish it distinctly understoodthat all non-essential changes and modifications are within the scope ofmy claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In an electric railway, a main line trolley wireand a curve wire, said curve wire carried across the main wire at theirjunction and secured to a pole in the line of strain, lateral guys forthe curve wire extending therefrom to outside anchorages, and a guard orreinforcing wire extending parallel to the curve wire and connecting allthe outside guys on the curve, whereby in case of a break in the curvewire the system will remain balanced.

2. In an electric railway, a main line trolley wire and a curve wire,said curve wire carried across the main wire at their junction andsecured to a pole in the line of strain, lateral guys for the curve wireextending therefrom to outside anchorages, and an overhead switch havinga body with grooves for the passage of the main and curve wires, and alateral depending hook, said curve wire passing through its groove overthe main wire, under said hook, and to its guy pole or anchorage,thereby serving at once to head guy the curve and to steady and supportthe switch.

In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD E. GILMORE.

IVitnesses:

J AMES B. McGoUGH, FREDERICK W. PULsH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

